Fleet & hardware
What is lights-out manufacturing?
Lights-out manufacturing is production that continues without on-site staff. In additive manufacturing, this usually means printers running unattended overnight or through weekends.
Also known as: unattended production, 24/7 printing, dark factory
The prerequisites
Running unattended is not simply a matter of leaving the lights off. It requires:
- A queue that dispatches itself, so a finished printer pulls the next eligible job without a human.
- Failure detection, so a failed print does not consume the entire night.
- Part removal: either automated ejection, or accepting one job per machine per unattended period.
- A safety position you can defend: thermal runaway protection, enclosure, fire detection, and whatever your institution’s policy requires for unattended equipment.
The realistic gain
The available gain depends on staffed hours, print length, part removal, and how quickly a failure is detected. Count only the unattended hours your safety and operating process can actually support.